A Monster Among Us
by DragonRacer
Summary: A monster is murdering Konoha's villagers. No ninja can stand against it, so Tsunade sends for a special soldier from the west. But the soldier seems more monster than human...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a crossover between Naruto and Claymore, the totally kick ass manga series by Norihiro Yagi. Hopefully, if you haven't had the pleasure of reading Claymore yet, the plotline to it will be explained as best I can. If this chapter doesn't explain it fully, future chapters will explain a bit more about the Claymore characters. If you're interested in reading the manga, its available from Shonen Jump Advanced (four cents more expensive than your average Naruto volume). I have yet to find a place to read Claymore online, but I'm still looking.**

**One last thing: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Claymore. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Norihiro Yagi, respectively.**

* * *

Konoha woke to what would have been a fine morning. The sun was bright, the sky had only a few clouds, and a light breeze kept the air cool. The problem was the smell that was carried on the breeze, a smell that infested the noses of Konoha's villagers.

It was blood.

The source was easy enough to find. A small crowd had gathered around the mutilated corpse. Those with weak stomachs had already run off when they felt their breakfast coming up. The remaining onlookers barely noticed when two ANBU came pushing their way through the crowd. When the pair reached the crowd center, the leader of the two looked down at the body and then back up at his partner.

"Inform Hokage-sama."

The partner nodded and then poofed away. The remaining ANBU looked at the onlookers who had finally started to disperse. Most of them cast fearful looks at the scene, and those that didn't apparently couldn't trust themselves to look back.

The ANBU didn't blame them. The body lying in front of him was a horrifying sight, even for an experienced shinobi such as himself. The puddle of blood surrounding the body was enough to churn some stomachs but the ANBU found the body itself to be more distressing.

The body was lying as if the person had been trying to run away when it had been killed. The blood had come from the stomach, which wasn't surprising considering the hole ranging from the victim's pelvis to the solar plexus. The ANBU didn't need to investigate further to know what he would find. This person had had their intestines, stomach, their kidneys, everything that could be referred to as a person's guts; all of it had been ripped out of them. The worst part, however, was what was on the person's forehead.

The victim wore a Konoha Hitai-ate.

* * *

Tsunade didn't look up from her paperwork at the poofing noise that signaled the arrival of a ninja. It may have pissed her off royally, but she had come to expect the sudden arrival of ninja's in recent years. She was Hokage after all.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Hokage-sama, there has been another attack."

Tsunade's head shot up. "Another attack?"

"Yes ma'am. Same results. Internal organs forcibly removed and now missing. And there is something else. The victim is a Konoha chuunin."

Tsunade stood up in shock. Another victim? And a chuunin this time?

These attacks were getting out of hand. This was the seventh attack in the past two weeks. And now a ninja had been attacked. Someone, or something, was murdering Konoha citizens and ripping out their insides. People were starting to panic and no one had any idea who or what was behind these murders.

Tsunade glanced out the window and then back at the kneeling shinobi. "Fetch Jiraiya. He should be either in the archives or at the library."

The ANBU nodded and then poofed away. Tsunade walked over to the window and took a long, hard look out of it. Seven murders, all of themin a hidden village that had been on high alertsince the first one. To put it bluntly, it was baffling. Ever since the third murder had occurred, Jiraiya had been convinced that no human, ninja or otherwise, could be responsible for the deaths. He had immediately dived into his research, which for the first time Tsunade could remember didn't involve one of his peeping jutsus. He had been convinced that there had to be some clue to whatever was behind the attacks in the historical records.

A knocking on her door brought Tsunade out of her thoughts and back to the present. Jiraiya entered the office, looking more exhausted than Tsunade had ever seen him.

"You wanted me here?" the toad sannin asked tiredly.

"Yes. Jiraiya, there has been another attack."

"Another one?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Jiraiya sat down in a chair and immediately slumped. Tsunade sat back behind her own desk and looked at her former teammate.

"You've been looking through the library and the archives for the past week and a half. Is it too much to hope for that you found some clue to what the hell is going on?"

"I have a good hunch, but it isn't anything concrete."

"Jiraiya, at this point, I'd take even a vague idea."

"Well, I found one very old text that gave a suggestion of what it might be."

"How old?"

"It's from before Konoha was even founded. As a matter of fact, from the dating and locations mentioned in the book, I think it might have been written by a person living in one of the lands far to the west."

"What the hell is something that old doing… no, I don't want to know. What did it say?"

"It gave a vague description of several murders that apparently were attributed to creatures called Yoma."

"Yoma?" Tsunade asked, "What on Earth is a Yoma?"

"Something that most people of the time apparently did not believe was a being of Earth."

"What do you mean?"

Jiraiya sagged even farther in his chair. Tsunade could tell that he had slept very little recently. She sometimes forgot that it was possible for her old teammate to actually be dedicated to something other than his perverted novels.

"Jiraiya?"

"People of the time apparently believed that Yoma were either demons or barons of hell. Either way, they were monsters with more than a little evil in them.The reason the internal organs of the victims were missing was because the Yoma would actually eat the organs while the victim was still alive."

"Still alive?" Tsunade asked in horror.

"Yes. And no human that actually fought a Yoma ever survived."

"This sounds like something more than just a hunch, Jiraiya."

"It's still only a theory, Tsunade," Jiraiya replied, "The characteristics of the murders fit, and I don't see what else could be responsible. But the reason it is only a theory is that no Yoma was known to have come this far to the east. The last Yoma attack in the records was in one of the western lands."

"Wait, back up a second. How can something like this Yoma creature just evade our notice? I realize that some of our people can be a tad slow on the uptake, but surely they would notice a monster walking around?"

"That was what made the Yoma so dangerous. While they were strong enough to kill a human, the monsters also had the ability to take over the minds and bodies of humans. Anyone could have been the Yoma, and no one was able to tell the difference between a Yoma impersonating a human and the genuine article."

"Then how did the attacks get resolved, or didn't they?"

"There is an organization far to the west, in the lands where the attacks occurred," Jiraiya replied, "It doesn't have a name, but the people who requested its services referred to it as the Claymore Organization. Those that belonged to the organization were called Claymores, although the soldiers themselves were recorded as preferring to be called Silver-Eyed Slayers. Apparently, they had taken the flesh and blood of the Yoma into their bodies."

"You mean they…?"

"Yes. They became half-Yoma. It gave them the strength and speed to defeat the monsters in combat. But they were ostracized for it. They were treated as if they were no different than the Yoma themselves."

"Who does that remind me of?" Tsunade said absentmindedly.

"The situation that they faced and the one that Naruto deals with were not all that dissimilar. The slayerswere strong and fought to protect those in danger, but nonormal humanwanted anything to do with them. And so, the Claymore soldiers traveled from village to village slaying Yomas for a fee."

"I thought that no one could tell the difference between humans and Yomas in human form."

"By becoming half-monster,Claymores gained the power to sense where a Yoma was."

"Does this organization still exist?" Tsunade asked, seeing a small bit of hope.

"Yes, it does," Jiraiya replied, "But no slayer has ever come this far to the east before."

"Haven't you heard the expression There's a first time for everything'? We need one of these slayers. Get in contact with the organization and have them send one of those Claymores out here."

"Alright, but Tsunade, there is something else."

"What else can there be?"

"There was nothing proved, but there were quite a few rumors mentioned in the old writings. One of them was that if a Claymore used the Yoma strength too often, their still-human minds would be corrupted and they would become a full Yoma."

"A full Yoma?" Tsunade asked, her worry tangible.

"It was just a rumor, but…" Jiraiya trailed off.

Silence reigned in the office. Tsunade sighed.

"Jiraiya?"

"Tsunade?"

"Get me a Claymore."

* * *

"Over here."

"What do you have for me this time, Rubel?"

"A new assignment, what else?"

"Which village?"

"Konohagakure."

"Konohagakure? One of those odd villages in the eastern territories?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Apparently the leader of the village believes that a Yoma is slaying the townspeople."

"I have never heard of a Yoma traveling that far east."

"Neither have I. While you're out there, you may want to investigate how the Yoma got that far out of the usual territory."

"You're telling me to stay out there long term?"

"Yes."

"Is that wise?"

"Think of it this way: if any other Yoma appear in the neighboring villages, you will be the one to slay them. Meaning you will be the one who gets the slayers cut of the money for it."

"Hmm…"

"If you were to turn this down, I would most likely send Milia or Helen. You are being given this one because you are the closest one to the village. The Yoma has already claimed seven in the past two weeks. It will take you at least a week to get there, considering your traveling arrangements. The others would take longer, and I know how you like to get jobs done quickly."

"True. Send word the village Chief that I will arrive as soon as I can."

"Good. Oh, and one other thing. The village apparently had some trouble with a fox demon eighteen years ago, and hasn't quite gotten over their fear of monsters and demons in human form."

"What do you mean?"

"The fox demon was sealed into a newborn boy. The local population isn't overly fond of him for it, despite his being one of the village's top soldiers."

"I will take that into consideration. But it wouldn't be the first time someone looked at me in fear."

"Of course. You don't care, so long as that boy doesn't look at you that way."

"His name is Raki. I wish you would start remembering that."

"I always warn you not to get too close to him, and you always ignore my warnings."

"As I have said before, he is my cook. Nothing more."

"Be on your guard, Claire. This mission will be very difficult."

"Aren't they always?"

* * *

Naruto stood in the Hokage's office, his feet sore and his head tired. It was late and he had just gotten back from a week-long mission. Naruto could think of nothing better than getting an extra large bowl of ramen and finding a place to lie down. However, as Ichiraku's was closed up for the night, a cup of instant ramen would have to do.

All this planning was well and good, but Naruto wouldn't be able to get to any of it if Obaa-chan wouldn't let him go. She seemed to be relishing the fact that he was exhausted and she wasn't allowing him out. Tsunade was looking over the report he had turned in, but didn't seem to be focusing on it. Naruto's sigh of relief was almost audible when she finally put down the paper and looked up at Naruto.

"I take it the mission was a success?"

"You read the report, didn't you?"

"Yes," Tsunade replied, taking a long look at the blonde jounin. "You look exhausted."

"Obaa-chan, I do believe your powers of perception have gotten so much better in your old age."

Tsunade growled, but didn't do anything else. Naruto's sarcasm was to be expected, and it was still one of the reasons that she was fond of theblonde ninja.

"Naruto, while you were gone there were more attacks. The most recent one was a chuunin."

"So this thing can kill shinobi."

"Yes. Jiraiya found out what it is. The creature responsible is called a Yoma."

"A Yoma?"

"A monster that not only eats the victim alive, but it can also take over a human's mind and body."

"Is there any surefire way to kill this thing?"

"Yes, a Claymore."

"Who or what is a Claymore exactly?"

"A part-Yoma soldier with the ability to find the monster."

"These Claymores are part-Yoma themselves?"

"Yes, they are. I contacted the organization that they belong to. The reply letter said that one of them is due to come to the village in the next few days."

"Good. That means that only one or two more deaths will happen."

"Since when did you get so pessimistic?"

"When I realized that total exhaustion really sucks. Obaa-chan, can I go now?"

Tsunade sighed. He didn't appear to truly get it, but, knowing Naruto, he would probably start caring as soon as he got a good night's sleep. "Yes, you can go. Good night, Naruto."

"Night, Obaa-chan."

Naruto turned and started to leave. "Naruto, wait."

He turned back to the Hokage. "What?"

"Be careful out there, ok?"

"Don't worry, Obaa-chan. Even if the Yoma comes after me, my furry little friend won't let me die."

"Not if the seal gets damaged."

"You worry too much," Naruto said, before turning again and walking out of the office.

Tsunade watched as Naruto strode out of the office. "Too much, Naruto, or not enough?"

* * *

Naruto walked out of the Hokage's Tower and onto the streets of Konoha. Obaa-chan really did worry too much. It was comforting that she worried about him, but he wasn't thirteen anymore. Sure, he was eightenn and had only recently been promoted to jounin, but there was no way Naruto was going to get killed without a fight that would be certain to attract a lot of ANBU attention. Even exhausted as he was, Naruto would be able to handle himself.

"Hey, Naruto."

Naruto stopped and turned to the source of the voice that was stepping out of the shadows. "Yo, Shinji-san." Komura Shinji had been one of Naruto's jounin exam instructors. He was also one of the few that hadn't known him for a long time that didn't look at Naruto with those cold eyes. That fact and the knowledge that Shinji was an exceptionally talented ninja earned Naruto's respect. "What brings you around so late?"

"Just got off guard duty. You?"

"Meeting with the old hag. I turn in my mission report and she takes the opportunity to ruin any chance of getting a good nights sleep." Naruto started walking off in the direction of his apartment and Shinji fell into step next to him.

"She busting your chops about shoddy work again?" asked the older jounin.

"Not tonight. Tonight she decided to inform me of the latest attack. Tsunade-baba also made sure to tell me that we now have an idea of what the cause is."

"Cause?"

Naruto nodded and turned the corner onto his street. "Yep. Apparently, the attacks are the work of monsters called Yoma. The reason that the victims don't have internal organs anymore is that the Yoma is eating them."

"Sounds like these Yoma are pretty tough customers."

"Maybe." Naruto stopped at the steps of his apartment complex and turned to his companion. "But I'm sure someone will be able to beat it. Seeing as this is my place, I will say goodnight. Catch ya later, Shinji-san." Naruto started heading up the steps.

"I wonder…"

Naruto stopped climbing. "Wonder what?"

"I wonder what human intestines taste like to a beast like this Yoma."

Naruto arched an eyebrow and looked down at Shinji. "They probably taste like organs. Whatever they taste like, I don't want to think about it."

"Perhaps shinobi taste better than others."

Naruto was getting weirded out. "Shinji-san, you're starting to creep me out, so I'm going to go inside." Naruto started to head inside again before a hand grabbed his wrist with incredible strength.

**_"I wonder what you taste like."_**

Naruto froze and looked down at his wrist. Shinji's hand was turning gray and leathery. It was starting to grow claws. Naruto looked up.

The face that looked back at him was most certainly not human.

The skin was changing to match the hand. The hair was disappearing and the teeth were growing and sharpening. And the eyes… the eyes were widening and turning a sickly shade of golden-yellow.

"You… you're the yoma…"

**_"You catch on fast,"_** the Yoma said before throwing the shocked ninja into the street. **_"You live in a rather isolated part of the village. I doubt anyone will be around to disturb my meal." _**

Naruto could only watch in horror as the horrific monster in front of him came closer and closer. This moment dwarfed the fear that he had felt against the Devil of the Hidden Mist. But at least Zabuza had still appeared to be human. What was in front of Naruto could in no way be considered even partially human. "But… you can't be… Shinji-san… he…"

**_"Fool. I took over his mind long ago. I have been using his memories to act as he would. Even your mighty Hokage had no idea."_**

****The Yoma came closer.

**_"Do you really think any of you will be able to stop me? We Yoma have lived among you pathetic humans since ancient times. You exist only as our food. We are the foremost predators alive, and you are our prey. Prey is in no position to fight back against predator."_**

Somewhere in the back of Naruto's mind registered what the Yoma had said. And when the Naruto fully realized exactly what was going on, Naruto knew exactly what he had to do.

Naruto had to tear this Yoma apart, piece by piece.

In a flash, Naruto was up and charging the Yoma. If he could get under the monster's guard, he could land a few good hits. But a clawed hand came up and sent Naruto flying into the building on the opposite side of the street before Naruto could get too close.

The impact was a hard one. Naruto was seeing stars that didn't seem to want to disappear. "So fast..."

**_"You really believe you can save yourself? Yoma can move faster than you could ever hope for. You will die whether you fight me or not. You should just stop struggling. Perhaps I'll make it quick."_**

"Kiss my ass."

Naruto stood up and his hands flashed through the familiar seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Five clones popped into existence beside him and shifted into battle position.

**_"Ah, the clone move. Different from the clones that the last one used. Of course, you prefer to use this one over any other move. The Shinji human was always amazed that you could make so many and still be able to stand, even being as young as you are. Too bad I am not impressed in the least. Humans may not be able to tell the difference between the clone and the original. But a Yoma can."_**

The Yoma shot forward and struck the real Naruto with more force than ever. Naruto was sent flying again, and when he hit the wall he was too dazed to even hope to stand. The clones disappeared. The Yoma laughed; it was high, cold, cruel, and evil laugh.

**_"I did tell you. You have no hope of winning. I know all of your pathetic maneuvers, all of your techniques. I know of the fox sealed inside you and the strength it gives you. Even if you were able to use that demon's power, you would die."_**

Naruto forced his eyes to focus as the Yoma came closer to finish the deed. By sheer force of will, Naruto forced the energy to start swirling in his palm. It was all he had. If the Rasengan couldn't do anything, he would die. The Yoma would kill him before he could fully draw out the Kyuubi's chakra. This monster was too fast to hope for anything else.

Naruto forced himself to stand. The Yoma stopped moving closer, watching with amusement as the blonde shinobi used the wall to push himself up. The blue energy rotating in his hand was worth notice. It would be useful when his memories and abilities were absorbed.

Naruto finally reached his feet. He took a deep breath and charged.

"RASENGAN!"

The blue orb went straight through the Yoma's stomach. But the monster didn't seem fazed in the slightest. In fact, it laughed.

**_"Fool."_**

The Yoma reached out and grabbed the arm that held the Rasengan. It then proceeded to simply pull Naruto's arm from the wound hole. To Naruto's horror, the hole in the beast's abdomen started closing itself as soon as Naruto's hand had emerged from the wound.

**_"I did warn you that your efforts would be futile. But I grow tired of this game. I wished to have my dinner long ago and you have managed to postpone the inevitable. Now, I will finish this."_**

With its free hand, the Yoma extended its claws further than before. With a swift downward slash, Naruto's chest was ripped open and blood flew. Naruto didn't even have time to scream as the Yoma let go of his arm and further tore open the wound as Naruto fell to the ground.

**_"It is time for me to feed."_**

Naruto could only watch as the Yoma bent down with hunger in its eyes. But suddenly, it stopped. Two thunks were heard as the Yoma's body jerked in surprise. Naruto heard a faint yelling and the Yoma vanished. Someone was yelling Naruto's name, but Naruto was unable to respond before the world became dark.

_

* * *

Two days later…_

The gates of Konohagakure loomed large and imposing. To someone like Raki, a twelve-year-old that had never even left his own village before the death of his family, they were an amazing sight.

When Claire had told him that they would be traveling far to the eastern countries, he didn't know exactly what to think. After living in the west so long, it was almost like a great new adventure. But to travel so far…

Raki glanced over at the woman walking next to him. Claire hadn't told him much about this village, only saying that the military forces used an odd form of magic in their battles and that the soldiers were called ninja.

Claire had always been a bit of a mystery to Raki. She alternated personalities so often that it was frequently difficult to know exactly how she would react to anything. She could be kind and gentle one minute, and cold and violent the next.

"Raki."

Raki jumped. "Yes, one-chan?"

"Make sure to be on your best behavior when we enter the village. I have never been to one of these villages before, so I don't know how they would react to strangers. But I do know that they do not like anyone that is in anyway partially monster."

"What do you mean? I thought that you said that no Claymore… oh, sorry… that no slayer had ever been out this far to the east."

"I told you the truth. I was told that a fox demon had terrorized this village eighteen years ago. The village leader, which they called the Yondaime Hokage, wasn't able to kill the demon. Instead, in a way that cost him his own life, he sealed the demon into a newborn baby. While that baby has grown up to be a strong and worthy fighter, the villagers regard him as nothing more than the demon in human shape. And thus they have treated horribly."

Raki looked up at Claire with his eyes wide. Eighteen years with nothing but bad treatment over something that he had no control over. That story sounded a lot like what Claire and Raki dealt with every time they went to a new village. The people would be afraid of Claire because she was half-Yoma, despite Raki always telling them that while Claire was half-Yoma, she was also half-human, and that should be reason enough for them to trust her. But they rarely listened, and they were always overjoyed when Claire and Raki would leave. Some towns seemed happier over the fact that the Claymore was leaving rather than the fact that the Yoma she was hired to kill was dead.

"He sounds a lot like you, Claire."

Claire glanced down at Raki before stopping in front of the gate. The two oddly dressed guards at the entrance looked at the two of them for a few moments before one of them spoke.

"You two are rather oddly dressed," one of them said, "Where are you from anyway?"

"The west," Claire replied. "We have a business to discuss with your Hokage. She is expecting us."

The two guards shared a glance before the one who had spoke nodded. "Very well. The Hokage's tower is the tall, yellow building in the center of town. Just head down this street. You can't miss it."

"Thank you." Claire looked down at Raki and nodded. Raki took a deep breath and the two of the passed beneath the arch into Konoha.

* * *

**A/N: If anyone lawyers want to call me on it, the Yoma used a direct quote from the first chapter of the Claymore series (when he was going on about predator and prey). Now you can't sue.**

**To any others, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Don't worry; the victim in the opener was a faceless ninja. I'm not planning on killing any of our favorite characters (that may change later, however).**

**I may or may not wait for the third Claymore volume before I post the next chapter (it comes out beginning of August). I may also wait to post seeing as I have been neglecting my InuYasha story recently. I'll probably alternate between the two. **

**As a final note (this has gone on too far anyway), reviews are appreciated, but not required. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I did say that I would most likely hold off on this chapter, but after all the attention that chapter one got (150+ hits and two reviews) I thought that perhaps I should do chapter two (capitalize on the small amount of momentum).**

**Speaking of reviews, I recieved a query from The Unknown Alias as to whether this story would become a Naruto/Claire. I will admit that I was originally considering doing just that, but I decided against it. I had a couple of reasons for my decision, but two in particular stood out.**

**One, I believe that Claire doesn't have room in her heart for anyone other than Teresa and Raki. I truly believe that a romantic relationship with Naruto or any Konoha male is just not possible (especially for someone with my limited romance-writing capabilities).**

**Two, I happen to be a Naru/Hina booster (so sue me, I think they would make a cute couple). But I will say it right up front: Naruto and Hinata's relationship (friendship or otherwise) will NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT be the focus of this story. Any Kiba/Hina's or Naru/Saku's who might be reading this take note: Naruto and Hinata will not be doing the horizontal hula at any point in this story.**

**As a final note, if anyone is wondering where the hell I might actually going with this story, I request that you read the bottom A/N. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Claymore. The minute I own Naruto is the minute that Tenten and Shino get a story arc giving them some character development.**

* * *

Raki knew that Claire had warned him to be on his best behavior. He interpreted that request as staying calm and trying not to draw attention to either of them. He understood Claire's reasoning behind it. 

But the streets of Konohagakure were making it incredibly difficult to do that.

The shops along the sides of the street were incredibly tempting. The displays in the windows almost seemed to be calling to Raki, almost demanding that he stop and look in. But what they were selling was interesting enough. There were more shops than he had ever seen in one place selling just about every thing imaginable. Weapons, clothes, food. It was taking all of Raki's willpower to keep walking next to Claire. Of course, the people that Raki saw were able to keep his attention.

There were people everywhere. People of all different shapes and sizes. Quite a few of them wore the same metallic headband that the two guards at the gates wore. Some of them wore strange green vests over their clothing. But there were some people that stood out more than others did. There were some groups of headband wearers that received wide berths and respectful nods from passers by. Raki even saw people almost cringing away from certain people that were wearing green jackets that had high collars. Those walking by them would nod and then start rubbing their arms and brushing their clothes like they were scraping bugs off of themselves. It was rather strange.

Less strange was the general reaction that Claire and Raki were receiving from the villagers. People were looking at them curiously, and every now and then a person would see Claire's eyes and give her a seemingly respectful nod, almost like they recognized her. The Claymore sword strapped to Claire's back, however, was getting some rather intense stares. Perhaps the soldiers of this village didn't use weapons such as hers.

"Raki, lets quicken our pace."

"Why?"

"We are being followed."

Raki turned to look behind them, but he didn't see anyone. "What do you mean? I don't see anyone other than the people we have been passing."

"You aren't looking in the correct place. Our pursuers are on the rooftops."

"The rooftops?" Raki looked up but he still didn't see anything. "Are you sure that we are being followed?"

"Yes. It is likely that the guards at the front gates notified a few others and they decided that we are suspicious characters."

"What are we going to do?"

"Nothing. We have nothing to hide. We are here on official business with the Hokage and mean no harm to any of the villagers. They may follow us if they wish, but they are simply wasting their time."

Raki nodded. It was true. Claire was here to kill the Yoma and Raki was simply along for the ride. If the two guards wanted to send their friends on a wild goose chase, it was their choice.

"We're here."

Raki came out of his thoughts. Claire had stopped in front of a yellow tower with a red roof. Just like the guard had told them. "This is the Hokage's tower?"

"That's what it says on the sign, Raki. Let's head inside." Claire walked towards the door and Raki followed.

* * *

"But when do you think he will wake up, Hokage-sama?" 

"I have told you before, Hinata, I don't know. He lost so much blood that he could be out for another week. For all we know, he could wake up now."

"He'd better wake up soon, because if he doesn't I knock his block off for making us worry."

"Sakura, I thought I taught you better than to kill a patient who just came out of a coma."

"You did, Tsunade-sama, but think I should be given a little leeway considering who it is."

Sakura's words managed to cut through the grogginess that Naruto was still feeling. He had only woken up a few minutes ago, but he had been awake long enough to hear all the "pleasant" things Sakura was saying about him.

"It's nice to know that you care, Sakura."

"Naruto!" Naruto's vision was suddenly filled with a mass of pink hair. And judging by the lack of air to Naruto's lungs, it was likely that Sakura was trying to hug the life out of him.

"Sakura, if you don't let go of him he will most likely pass out again."

Sakura let go of Naruto, albeit a tad slower than she normally would have. "Sorry Naruto, but we were all getting worried."

Naruto pushed himself up into a sitting position. It took a large amount of effort due to the bandages wrapped tightly around his abdomen. He was lying in a hospital bed, and he was incredibly sore. Sakura was still standing next to the bed, and Tsunade and Hinata were standing at the foot of the bed watching him intently. "How long was I out?"

"Two days," Tsunade replied.

Naruto's eyes widened. Two days? That Yoma had really done a number on him if he had been unconscious for two whole days. Normally, Naruto would only need a day at the most to heal his injuries. The bastard fox made sure of that. "Two whole days?"

"Yes," Sakura said, "Naruto, there was something wrong when Hinata and the others saved you. Your wounds, they weren't healing like they usually do."

"You were bleeding so heavily," Hinata said, "We were starting to wonder if you were going to be all right. "

"Naruto, is it true that the Yoma did this to you?"

"Unfortunately, baa-chan, it was indeed the Yoma. It was Komura Shinji. He was the Yoma. I was walking with him, and then he… well, he _became_ the Yoma. He just started changing. His skin turned gray, his teeth got sharper, and his eyes… his eyes turned a shade of yellow that would turn even your stomach."

There was silence until Hinata spoke up. "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry it took so long to find you. If we… if I had been quicker, this wouldn't have happened."

Naruto looked at the lavender-eyed kunoichi. "Hinata, if you had gotten there any quicker the Yoma would most likely have tried to attack you, too. The only reason that it was possible to keep me from being eaten was because the monster had been distracted by its dinner. If it hadn't been about to chow down, there would be no way in hell that it would have been hit. By anything."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto stared off into space. "I put a rasengan through that things stomach, and it laughed it off." Naruto paused again. "Obaa-chan, has that Claymore person arrived yet?"

"Claymore?" Sakura asked. She turned to Tsunade expectantly.

"Naruto, I haven't told them."

"Why the hell not?"

"I want as few people to know about this as possible. I don't want our visitor to be feared. The Claymore will have enough trouble trying to do their job without being stoned and called a monster."

"Wait. Tsunade-sama, what is a Claymore? And why would they be called a monster?" Sakura asked.

"A Claymore is someone who has the strength to defeat what is murdering Konoha citizens. Jiraiya found out what is responsible. The murderer is a monster known as a Yoma. A Yoma can take over a person's mind and body, but a Claymore can tell the difference between a Yoma and a regular person."

"Then why only tell Naruto?"

"Because he will be able to understand the Claymore better than any of us could ever hope to. Just as Naruto carries the Kyuubi and is hated for it, a Claymore is part Yoma and is feared for it."

Hinata and Sakura's eyes widened with understanding. Naruto truly would be able to understand the Claymore better than anyone else in Konoha could ever hope for.

"Oh, Naruto," Sakura said, "For some reason, Kyuubi wasn't healing you. Tsunade-sama and I had to heal you."

Naruto let this new information sink in. Kyuubi hadn't been healing him? That was odd. Unless… "Now that you mention it, I think I know why."

"You do?" Tsunade asked. Naruto was about to explain when there was a knock at the door and Shizune stuck her head in.

"Tsunade-sama, there are two people outside your office, a girl of about seventeen and a boy of about twelve. The girl says that they have business with you."

"Business? Tell them that I'm busy and I will get to them when I am done."

"She said that if you were busy I was to tell you that she had come from the west on life and death business."

"The west?" Tsunade asked. She looked at Naruto, as if he would know any better than her who the visitors were. Her eyes widened in realization and she turned back to Shizune. "Tell her that I will…no, tell her to come here."

"Here?" Shizune asked.

"Yes, here. I think I know who she is. If I'm right, she will most likely need to talk to Naruto." Shizune nodded and closed the door.

"Tsunade-sama? What…?"

"I believe that reinforcements may have arrived."

"What the hell does that mean, baa-chan?"

"Hokage-sama, you are speaking in riddles."

"Yes, I am. But if we wait for them to get here, I'll stop."

The three younger shinobi exchanged confused looks before deciding to wait. A few minutes passed before the door to the hospital room slid open.

Two people walked in. First in was the girl that looked to be in her late teens and she was followed by a younger boy. The two of them were an oddly matched pair. The boy was about a head shorter than the girl but looked like he was about to hit a growth spurt. He had light brown hair and was wearing a gray shirt, tan pants, and boots. He seemed a little nervous by the new surroundings, and he was standing very closely to the girl.

It was easy to understand why. The girl was thin and, quite frankly, looked rather frail, but she was wearing metal torso armor and a metal armor skirt. She had pale skin, white hair, and silver eyes that shone brightly as she looked around the hospital room. The girl's appearance vaguely reminded Naruto of either a ghost or a white haired Hinata. In fact, if either the girl or Hinata were to change their hair color to match, they could pass for twins. But what truly made the new girl's form unique was the long sword that was strapped to her back. The blade itself was almost as long as she was. Naruto vaguely recalled Tenten telling him about western swords, but he couldn't remember what this particular sword was called.

There was a moment of silence before the girl spoke. "Which one of you in the Hokage?"

"I am," Tsunade said. "Are you the one sent to kill the Yoma?"

"Yes, I am." The girl turned to the boy standing next to her. "Raki, if you want, you can go explore the village. I will have to talk to the Hokage."

The boy hesitated. "Are you sure it's ok, Claire-ne-chan? You said we were being followed."

"If they question you, tell them to come here. Everything will be explained. You seemed interested in the shops we passed; go inside them if you want."

The boy nodded slowly and started to head towards the door.

"Wait." Tsunade had been watching the exchange between the two newcomers with great interest. The boy seemed reluctant to leave the girl's side. But she had an idea. "Hinata, do you have anything important to do today?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Then perhaps you can guide the boy around the village. Make sure he doesn't miss anything."

Hinata looked like she would rather stay with Naruto, but she understood the Hokage's request. She walked over to the door and looked back at the boy. He glanced backat the girl that he had called "Claire" before nervously walking over to Hinata. She smiled reassuringly and the two of them left the room.

"Sakura, I am sure that you have other rounds that you need to complete. Perhaps you should attend to them."

If Sakura felt put off by Tsunade's polite request to get the hell out, she didn't show it. She bowed both to the Hokage and to the newcomer and said goodbye to Naruto before heading out the door.

Tsunade took a long look at the Claymore. "I must admit, you aren't exactly what I had been expecting. I suppose I was expecting a man, or at least someone scarier looking."

The Claymore didn't reply. Naruto and Tsunade shared a look before Naruto spoke up. "If I may ask, who was that boy that was with you?"

"My cook. I received a request from the Hokage of Konoha because she believed a Yoma was killing and eating the insides of her villagers. If I am to slay the Yoma, I need to know more."

"Very well," Tsunade replied. "The attacks started about three weeks ago, and they have started to come more quickly in the recent week and a half. So far, eight people have been killed, including one chuunin level ninja."

"Eight? Obaa-chan, unless circumstances have changed since the last time I checked, I wasn't killed by the Yoma. Came close, but I am still among the living, meaning there are only seven dead."

"That was the other thing I needed to tell you. Another victim was found earlier today. Meaning there are indeed eight dead."

"You had a battle with the Yoma?"

Naruto and Tsunade looked back over at the Claymore. She had been so quiet that they had almost forgotten about her. "Yes, I did."

"Were you able to identify the Yoma's human form before it attacked you?"

"Yes, I did. Matter of fact, I had a nice conversation with it before it tried to gut me."

"Then there has most likely been a ninth victim as well. If the attacks have been happening with increasing frequency, the Yoma may be starting to become a Voracious Eater. If that is true, it will be smart enough to realize that its disguise has been compromised and that it will have most likely taken another form."

"Hold on," Tsunade cut in, "What do you mean by 'Voracious Eater'?"

"Normally, a Yoma does not need to feed more than once every week or two. But the longer the monster lives, the hungrier it gets. They are then called Voracious Eaters."

"Oh. Well then, I must ask you if the Yoma will be easy to find."

"Sure it will," Naruto quipped, "Just follow the scent of blood and organs."

The Claymore raised an eyebrow at Naruto. "If the Yoma has suppressed it aura enough, it will be difficult to find. But don't worry. I will try my best to find it." She turned around and walked to the door but stopped and turned around before she opened it. "Keep the payment money. When the job is done, someone will be sent to collect it. You will give it to him then. If I get killed, there will be no reason to pay."

"If you get killed?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you Claymores were supposed to be experts at killing those things."

The girl stared at Naruto. "Even experts can encounter unforeseen circumstances. Just because I am specially trained does not mean that I am infallible. You ninja are trained to combat as many threats as possible, but there was still only one who was even marginally prepared to battle the Nine-Tailed Fox demon." She turned to Tsunade. "I am going to inspect the village. I will report back any new information." With that, the Claymore soldier turned around and left the hospital room.

Naruto looked at where the silver-eyed girl had been standing just moments before. "Not overly friendly, is she?"

"She deals with death on an equally consistent basis as your average ANBU. She is allowed to be distant."

"Maybe so," Naruto replied. He swung his legs out from under the bedsheets and put his feet down on the floor. With a push off the bed he stood up. "But I have dealt with enough cold, unemotional bastards for one lifetime. I don't need a foreign girl in the same mold."

Tsunade tilted her head at the reference, but didn't plan on making anything of it. Instead she looked at Naruto, who was now stretching. "Are you sure you're strong enough to be up and about? Hinata wasn't lying when she said that you had lost a lot of blood. You should lie down and rest a bit more."

"Thanks for worrying about me, but I'm more stiff than anything. Gimme a few minutes to work out the kinks and I'll be up and chasing after a Yoma."

"No, you won't. Sorry, Naruto, but you will not be joining in on this monster hunt." Tsunade picked Naruto up by the shoulders and tossed him back into bed. When he tried to sit up again, she jabbed a finger into his chest. "We almost lost you two days ago, and I don't want you doing something like chasing a monster for another couple of days. Leave the monster hunting to the person being paid to do so."

Naruto grumbled, but he kept his mouth shut. Tsunade hadn't moved her finger from where she was poking him in the chest, and even he wasn't about to try her patience when she was within easy punching distance with him not in a very good dodging position.

"Speaking of professionals," Tsunade began, "If that girl and her cook are to be staying here for any length of time, they will most likely need a place to stay. Since they are our guests, would you be willing to let them stay at your place? You do have a rather large apartment, and I know you have a guest room."

Since Tsunade still hadn't moved her finger, Naruto nodded, causing Tsunade to finally take her finger away. "Might as well be hospitable. I'll need to ask my roommate, but that's probably just a formality. I mean, hey, my roommate is the one showing that girl's cook around Konoha. She probably won't mind."

"Very well then." Tsunade walked towards the door, before stopping. "And remember: Stay in bed."

"Yeah, yeah…" And Tsunade walked out the door.

"Damn it, Obaa-chan. I'm fine." Naruto hated staying in bed. It was just so boring. He looked out the window and lost himself in his thoughts. "So that was a Claymore, huh?"

* * *

Hinata was not overly happy. She had understood Tsunade-sama's request to keep an eye on Raki, as she had found him to be so named, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Hinata hadn't wanted to leave Naruto, and here she was playing baby-sitter. Sure, it was rather funny to watch the reaction on Raki's face to every new thing that he saw, but surely someone else could have been counted on to give Raki the tour. 

Hinata found Raki himself to be rather polite and a bit nervous around some of the more intimidating members of the Konoha citizenship. But he seemed comfortable enough around Hinata, which Hinata herself had yet to figure out why. Hinata made a mental note to figure a way to ask him that.

A quiet grumbling from Raki's stomach gave Hinata an idea for something else to show him. "Raki-kun, are you hungry?"

"Yes. Well, a little…"

"Well, then. I have an idea of where we can get lunch. Tell me, have you ever had ramen before?"

Raki turned his head to look up at Hinata. He shook his head slowly. "No, I haven't. I don't think I have ever even heard of it."

Hinata stopped cold. Never heard of ramen? It was a good thing Naruto was still in bed, or he might scare the poor kid witless. "I know of a place that makes great ramen. Let's go there."

Raki nodded, seemingly overjoyed that he was getting anything to eat, even if the food in question was something he had never tried before. When the two of them reached Ichiraku's, he seemed amazed by the setting. But sitting down at the bar, he seemed a little unsure of what to get.

"Raki-kun, I am paying, so don't worry about the price. Get whatever sounds good to you."

Raki still seemed a bit pensive, but eventually settled on a bowl of beef ramen, while Hinata ordered a bowl of pork ramen. When their orders arrived, Raki slowly stirred the ramen around in his bowl before taking a small taste. He chewed a bit, took another, larger bite, and then seemed to want to take a nose-dive into the bowl. Hinata could only watch in amazement as Raki finished the bowl in record time and then ordered another, larger bowl. After the fourth bowl, with Hinata's own bowl cooling rapidly, Hinata looked up to see Ichiraku-san with an ear to ear grin. Apparently he had just found a second favorite customer.

"Hungry, Raki-kun?"

"Claire-ne-chan doesn't eat much," Raki said between bites, "I try not to slow us down too much when we are traveling, so I usually only have time to really sit and enjoy meals at breakfast and dinner. Otherwise, I usually snack while we are walking."

Hinata saw an opportunity. "Raki-kun, I have been wondering something. You call her ne-chan. Is she really your sister?"

Raki shook his head. "She is the closest thing I have to family I have right now, but we are not truly related to each other."

"Then why do you travel with her?"

Raki seemed thoughtful. He even stopped eating for a moment. "She saved my life. And I have no one else that I can trust."

"How did she save your life?" Hinata asked.

"The first time I met Claire was when a Yoma was killing the people in my village. She was the one that was sent to kill it. When I saw her, I didn't think that she would be strong enough to kill a Yoma. So I followed her around and eventually got to talk to her. The first two to be killed by the Yoma had been my parents, and I told Claire that she would be the one to grant my wish of the Yoma being killed. When I got home that day, I found my uncle dead. The Yoma had killed him. I also found that my older brother Zaki was the Yoma."

"Your brother?"

"Yes. It was strange. When the Yoma was about to attack me, it was crying. It was like the part of Zaki that had been taken over was pushing its way through. But before the Yoma killed me, Claire crashed through the roof of our home and saved me. She killed the Yoma."

"So you started following her out of gratitude?"

"No. About a week after she had left to go to another job, the village chief came and told me that I was no longer allowed to stay in the village."

"They threw you out of the village? But why? What did you do?"

Raki frowned at the memory. "They said that the people you had to be worried about if they were a Yoma or not were the people that were closest to the victims. Since I was related to four of them, they told me to leave."

"I… I'm sorry."

Raki looked up at Hinata. She was almost close to tears. "Don't be. After I had wandered around a bit, I found Claire. As a matter of fact, I found her when she rescued me from another Yoma. She said that if I was willing to cook for her, I could travel with her until we found a place where I wanted to live. And…well, here I am."

Hinata was quiet for a moment. "Raki-kun, I have never had any in my family killed by monsters, but I do have an idea of what it feels like to not have anyone to care for you."

Raki looked at Hinata curiously. "You do?"

"Yes. I come from the Hyuuga clan, one of the oldest and strongest clans in Konoha. In fact, I am the daughter of the clan head. When I was born, I was named the clan heir. But after my younger sister was born and my mother died, my father said that the winner of a fight between his two daughters would decide who would be clan heir."

"So you lost the fight?" Raki asked.

"There was no fight. At first, I kept putting off the fight. I didn't want to fight my sister. But when my father wouldn't allow the fight to be postponed any longer, I told everyone the truth: I could not truly fight my own sister. When he ordered me to fight, I refused. That was the first time I had ever stood up to my father, and it cost me my place in the clan. My father decided thatby refusing to fight, I had dishonored the clan. He disowned me. That was when he placed the caged-bird seal on me and made me a member of the branch family."

"Caged-bird seal?"

Hinata nodded and shifted her hitai-ate from its place on her forehead, exposing the seal to the open air. Raki stared wide-eyed at the seal. He hesitantly reached out a hand and, at Hinata's nod of permission, lightly touched the spot on her forehead, feeling where the seal rose up on her forehead. When Raki pulled his hand back, Hinata shifted the headband back into its usual place.

"So you were thrown out of your home, too?"

"Yes," Hinata said with a sad smile. "At first I didn't know what to do. But when Naruto-kun found out what had happened, he offered me the chance to come live with him."

"Naruto?"

"You met him. He was the one in the hospital bed."

"The blonde guy?"

"Yes, him. In the beginning, I was a little unsure. But Naruto was very patient and said that if I decided that I was willing to become his roommate, I was free to move in at any time. I moved in the day after he asked me."

"So you found someone that would take care of you, too?"

Hinata looked at Raki and smiled, a genuinely happy one. "Yes. I found someone who has become as much family to me as anyone I am blood related to."

Raki smiled and the two of them went back to eating their now cold ramen. When they were both finished, Hinata paid the bill and the two of them left the ramen bar.

"Hinata?"

"Yes, Raki-kun?"

"Um, Claire-ne-chan told me that the soldiers that live here use a type of magic in their battles. Do you know anyone that could show me?"

Hinata smiled at her companion. "I'll do something better. My cousin and one of his old teammates are probably training right now. If you want, they would probably let you watch them spar."

Raki's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be great!"

"Then follow me to the training grounds." Hinata set off to where Neji and Lee would be training with Raki falling into step next to her.

Hinata glanced down at the boy walking next to her. She had only one thought. _"Perhaps playing baby-sitter wasn't such a bad idea after all." _

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter features Raki being introduced to the world of the Shinobi, Claire scouting the village, and Naruto finally being let out of bed (once Tsunade and Shizune look the other way).**

**For those who read the top note and are wondering about my "Read the Bottom" request, I have an announcement to make. I am making this an audience participation fic. I don't want to end the story any time soon, but I need ideas for story arcs. I already have a few ideas (Sasuke, Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Hidden Sound, and most likely something involving Raki getting into mischief with the Konohamaru Corps) but I don't want to use them immediately. So what I am requesting is ideas for story arcs. No restrictions on what character plays the large role in the arc. Hell, if you want, Claire, Raki, and Naruto can be background characters. If you come up with any ideas, drop me a line in a review or e-mail and let me know. If I choose your idea, I'll make sure you get credit for it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yes, I'm back after a long break, which I apologize for. I could give you the standard excuses (work, college, etc.) but I won't bore you with the gorey details. I wasn't too sure if I would ever finish this chapter, but a recent burst of inspiration gave it to me. Maybe my muse finally forgave me for actually having the gall to ask for story arc ideas from my readers (big no-no among the professionals). Recent Naruto canon isn't helping much either. I am just a short hop from just ignoring canon and going my own way.**

**Also, I reread the first two chapters. Why didn't anyone tell me they were so bad? Expect them to get edited in the hopefully near future. First change: Milia becomes Miria. That applies to an offhand comment in this chapter.**

**With that, on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto? Claymore? Nope, still not mine. Be cool if they were, though.**

* * *

It was not often that Claire kicked herself mentally. But here she was doing just that. She had expected that the scent of Yoma would be rather thick. She had also been expecting that there would be a light smell of demon in the air. 

But she had not been expecting the two to smell so much alike.

There were minor differences between the two, but the scents mingled to a point that it was difficult to distinguish between one scent or the other without truly concentrating. The blonde man that had been attacked by the Yoma was proof of that. He did not have the aura of a monster, so she had not been worried about that. But she had also smelled something else about him. Walking through the streets of Konoha had given Claire the opportunity to think about what he was. After a little thought she had come to the conclusion that he was the carrier of the fox demon that Rubel had told her about.

Thus the reason for the mental kicking she was getting. It was obvious to anyone who considered it that the demon was probably a sore spot with the ninja. By bringing up the Nine-tailed Fox and the Hokage who sealed it, Claire had probably touched a nerve. Experience had taught Claire that it was not the best idea to irritate the residents of the towns she was supposed to be helping. And while it was usually best to leave the local peacekeepers out of the Yoma hunt, sometimes it was useful to have their assistance if the Yoma had grown too large for just Claire to handle. She had already accepted the fact that, even with what Miria had told her and the others, she was not as strong as Teresa…

Claire severed that line of thought. It was not wise for a slayer to dwell on the past. Teresa was gone. The only thing that Claire could do was focus on the job at hand. If Raki had managed to do anything for Claire, it was that he had reminded Claire how terrifying a Yoma could be to a human. The average one got killed the moment a hungry Yoma spotted them. That the blonde man actually survived an encounter with one was an amazing act in and of itself.

There it was. Claire's thoughts had done a full circle and brought her right back to where she had been before. Claire nearly gave herself another mental kick before remembering the chastising she had given herself a minute earlier. If she had angered the blonde man by bringing up the subject of the demon, he would hopefully tell her and Claire would explain herself.

Claire shook her head. She had not let her mind wander that much in a long time. But the longer she waited, that worse the battle would be when she did finally find the Yoma. The mental ramble she had been on would have gotten her killed had the Yoma been nearby.

Claire took a deep breath and started concentrating. If she could sense where the Yoma was, things would go much smoother. But, unfortunately, luck wasn't with her. Either the Yoma was too far away to sense at the moment, or it had suppressed its aura enough that she could not detect it. Either way, Claire had to resort to the old fashioned way of finding things.

She would have to look.

Konoha was a large place compared to the western towns and villages that Claire was familiar with. It was also reasonably crowded, which was odd considering the fact that a Yoma was active. Usually when a Yoma had begun feeding, the local population started going out less and less until towns became virtually deserted. Perhaps the people living here were cut from a braver mold than the ones back west. Or perhaps they were just stupid. That was possible, but the woman who had identified herself as the current Hokage seemed like an intelligent type of person. If ninja battles were as common as Claire had been led to believe, it was likely that the Hokage had tried to keep the local population calm by saying that it was the work of an enemy rather than a monster. It was also true that towns with larger garrisons did tend to be stronger mentally, as if the courage the soldiers possessed spilled out into the main population.

What truly confused Claire were the oddly respectful nods that she was getting when people got a good look at her face. It was almost like the villagers believed that they vaguely recognized her. They might believe that she was someone else. The Claymore blade strapped on her back got its own stares, especially from one girl who had her hair tied up into two buns on the top of her head. That one had a strange look on her face, one that seemed to contain a strange mix of joy, curiosity, and jealousy. Worse, the girl had started to follow Claire as she walked around Konoha. But since she had yet to interfere with Claire's searching, Claire decided to ignore the girl for as long as possible.

Claire reached the gates that she had entered Konoha by and still had yet to sense the Yoma. The situation was getting worse and worse. A Yoma that was this stealthy was going to be nearly impossible to find until it attacked again. Claire made a right turn and started to walk parallel to the village walls. Perhaps making a lap of Konoha would give her a bit more information on where the Yoma was.

* * *

"Was that bitch insulting me?" 

Naruto had been considering what the Claymore had said to him, and when he had finally made sense of what the girl had told him he sat bolt upright in bed. Whether intentionally or not, she had more or less told him that the only ninja that was worth his weight in salt had been the Yondaime Hokage.

"Was she getting her jollies out of that Yoma beating me? Or was she just trying to piss me off?" What Naruto was sure about was that he was sick and tired of just sitting in bed. Shizune had come in a few minutes ago to check up on him, making sure to remind him as she left that he was still supposed to be in bed as per Tsunade's orders. Well, now that he had fully thought out what the girl had said, he was getting dressed and heading towards the window. But with his hand on the window frame, Naruto hesitated.

"They probably wouldn't be too happy with me for leaving like this," Naruto thought aloud. Then he gave a small grin. "But then again, when have I ever really cared whether the old hag is upset or not?" Naruto leapt out of the window. He had a Claymore to find.

Sakura came into the hospital room. "Hey Naruto. I've finished my rounds so I came to check…" Sakura realized that she was talking to an empty room. She looked around, saw the open window, and groaned. "Tsunade-sama is not going to be happy when she finds out about this."

* * *

Raki was excited, to say the least. He had seen Claire fight before, but now he was going to get a chance to see people who actually used magic in their battles. It was a struggle to keep himself from jumping up and down. Of course, doing so would probably result in a nasty bump on the head from one of the tree branches. For some reason, Hinata was leading him through a forest. Raki thought it weird that military magic users would train in the middle of a forest. Surely the trees would get in the way. 

"Raki-kun, before we reach them, I think I should explain something to you."

"What? Do we have to keep a certain distance away so that the magic doesn't hit us?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. What I meant was that we ninja don't fight using magic. We use a special form of physical and mental energy called chakra. What you think is magic is just forming chakra into something that we can use."

"'We'?" Raki asked. He stared up at Hinata. "You can use this chakra stuff, too?"

Hinata smiled down at the boy. "Yes, I can. Anyone who is trained as a ninja, like I am, can use chakra. Although there is one exception, and you are going to be meeting that exception in just a minute."

"I am?"

"Yes. Lee-san, a friend of mine, is unable to shape his chakra at all. But he has still become a splendid ninja with only his physical abilities." Hinata stopped as she heard the sounds of fists and kicks taking their toll on trees and human flesh. "We're here."

Raki's eyes lit up and he hurried towards where he could hear someone fighting. He found two men locked in combat; using their hands and feet rather than any weapons. At least, that is what Raki thought was going on. They were moving so fast that they seemed to be only two blurs.

Hinata came up next to Raki as he watched Neji and Lee spar. They were going at about half-speed; although, judging by the look on his face, Raki was having a hard time keeping up.

Lee was rebounding off of a tree to launch a flying kick at Neji. The Hyuuga used his forearm to block the kick and attacked Lee's chin with an uppercut. The force of the blow knocked Lee back into the tree; the resulting crack echoed throughout the forest. Lee rose slowly only to see Neji's fist incoming. He ducked the strike and dashed away from the tree, with Neji's punch hitting the trunk and leaving a fist-sized crater.

"Getting a bit slow are you, Lee?"

"Not at all, Neji. I have been going easy on you until now."

"I'm sure you have Lee. Now stop doing so and fight. If neither of us is going to go all out, this is a waste of time."

"Very well then. Prepare yourself."

Lee exploded towards Neji, leaping towards the Hyuuga with a flying roundhouse kick. Neji ducked the maneuver, only to receive a foot to his face as Lee completed his rotation, kept spinning, and aimed lower. Neji was sent back hard, sliding away from his opponent. He stood up, very slowly.

"Damn it Lee, do you always have to aim for my jaw?"

"You did request that I go full force. In a full force fight, a broken jaw can hamper an enemy with a good degree of effectiveness."

"Maybe so, but Sakura says that she's getting tired of fixing my face all the time. You wouldn't want to anger her, would you?"

Lee shivered. If there was one thing he would never want to face in his life, it was a fully enraged Sakura. "Very well then. Shall we finish?"

Neji calmly shifted into his jyuuken stance while Lee shifted into his standard fighting pose. The two were motionless for a moment. Suddenly, the fighters dashed towards each other and each swung a punch. Both connected and both of them fell to the ground with a thud. A few moments of silence, and then:

"Once again, a draw."

"Considering you went five years always getting defeated by me, I should think you would enjoy a draw once in awhile."

Lee sat up with a groan, which Neji mirrored. With them no longer in motion, Hinata and Raki could see the wounds that each of them was sporting. The side of Neji's face was turning purple and Lee's hands were bright red from all of the scratches and cuts they had. Both had a healthy layer of dirt on their faces, with grass stains adding a bit of green color.

Neji noticed the audience that the two fighters had gained. "Lee, we have company."

Lee looked and saw Hinata and Raki. "Ah, Hinata-san!" He bounded over to her. "You are looking well. And you have brought a friend with you. Who is he?"

Hinata saw how Raki was slowly backing away from the over-exuberant Lee and gave a small giggle. "Lee-san, this is Raki. Raki-kun, I would like you to meet Lee and Neji." Raki seemed encouraged by the introduction and slowly shook Lee's outstretched hand. "Raki is visiting Konoha and was curious about our ninja training."

"Is that so?" Neji asked as he came up next to Lee. "Where are you visiting from, Raki?"

"He comes from the west," Hinata said, before Raki could open his mouth. "The woman he was traveling with had business with Hokage-sama, and Raki came with her. Hokage-sama suggested that I show Raki-kun around the village, and he wanted to know more about our form of combat, so I brought him here so he could watch."

"Business?" Neji stared hard at Raki before turning to Lee. "Lee, do you think you could demonstrate a little bit while I talk to Hinata for a moment?"

Lee beamed. "Of course. I will strive to be as great a teacher as Gai-sensei! Come Raki-kun, I will show you the power of youth!" Lee grabbed Raki by the arm and dragged the boy off before Raki could protest.

"Please go easy on him, Lee-san!" Hinata called after him. She turned to Neji. "What did you need to talk to me about, Neji-niisan?"

Neji sighed. "Hiashi-sama wants you to come back and live in the Hyuuga house."

Hinata stared hard. Could she have misheard her cousin? "What?"

"Hiashi-sama wants you to come back. He does not want any Hyuuga, branch family or main, to live anywhere but on Hyuuga property."

Hinata bit her lip. "More like he does not like my living with Naruto-kun."

"Perhaps, but that is what he told me. He is willing to forgive your leaving, although you would still be a branch member."

Hinata was silent. So, he wanted her back did he? After telling her that she was a disgrace and that she was not worthy of the Hyuuga name? That she was a worthless shinobi, despite achieving jounin rank like all of her friends? "The Hiashi-sama that I know would not change his mind like that. I was under the impression that, in his eyes, I was not deserving of the Hyuuga bloodline. I doubt he has changed his mind in only a year when he thought that way for more than a decade."

"I am merely the messenger, Hinata-sama. I am relaying what Hiashi-sama told me to tell you."

Hinata watched as Lee punched a tree and then stood back so Raki could mimic him. The younger boy hit the tree, and then started waving his hand around like it was in pain. What Raki and she talked about at Ichiraku's came back to her. How each of them had been alone, but had found someone who could give them a feeling of being welcome. "Neji-niisan, the Hyuuga mansion is no longer my home. I have not been welcome there in years. It was not just because of my unwillingness to fight Hanabi that I was disowned. I have never been able to live up to Hiashi-sama's expectations of me, and if it weren't for you, there would be no one at all who lives there that I could actually call family. The apartment that I live in with Naruto-kun may not be anywhere near as big as the Hyuuga estate. Naruto may be completely lacking in basic house cleaning skills. He may be impossibly energetic, and completely unwilling to buy anything to eat besides instant ramen without my begging him. But he has given me a home. A place where I will always be welcome, no matter what." Hinata looked directly into Neji's eyes. "Tell Hiashi-sama that I will never go back to that foul place ever again."

As Hinata said those words, Neji could see the determination in Hinata's eyes. While he and Naruto may not have always been in agreement about things, Neji had to admit that the hyperactive ninja had given Hinata a truly great gift. He smiled at his cousin, one of the precious few that actually spread across Neji's eternally stoic face. "Very well, Hinata-sama. If that is your wish, I will tell Hiashi-sama that you send your wishes and hopes that he goes to hell."

Hinata returned his smile before darting in to give her cousin a hug. She broke the embrace when she heard Raki's yowl of pain. "Perhaps we should stop Lee before the power of youth breaks Raki-kun's hand."

* * *

Halfway through her lap around Konoha, Claire came to realize two things. One was that the girl that had been following her, all the while staring at the Claire's sword, had finally stopped trailing her. Claire had heard her give a small, maybe wistful, sigh before turning around and heading back towards the center of town. Knowing that she was not being followed anymore did give Claire some comfort, as it meant that the girl had merely been an unknowing annoyance rather than a spy. 

The second thing realized was that Claire was beginning to develop an enormous headache.

Slayers like her almost never got headaches. Claire herself usually only got them long after she had used her Yoma power and those were only small, momentary ones brought on by using too much power. But apparently all the concentrating she was doing to try and locate this Yoma was doing nothing but cause that pain in her head.

Her lap around Konoha had brought her to a large open area. She had passed similar areas a short distance back, and Claire's best guess was that these were training areas. But this particular one was different from the others. Its distinguishing feature was a smooth, rectangular shaped rock near its center. Curiosity getting the best of her, Claire walked towards the rock. As she neared it, her silver eyes began to pick up shapes carved into the rock. When she reached the rock, Claire saw that the shapes were actually names, reaching from the top down to the bottom where the rock merged with its platform base. A few of them leapt out at her as her eyes scanned downward. Uchiha Obito…Gekko Hayate… Sarutobi Asuma… other names carved in between those, before them, and after.

Claire's curiosity was suddenly piqued. She was in Konoha to slay a Yoma, but she could not keep from deciding that before she left, Claire would ask one of the residents about the meaning behind this rock.

"I see you're admiring one of Konoha's many tourist destinations."

Claire whipped around, drawing her sword in the process. Someone had snuck up on her without her senses telling her! Someone that could do that was dangerous!

It was the blonde man from the hospital. He was just standing there a few meters away, doing nothing but watching her as she brandished her Claymore blade at him.

"I say again, you seem to be admiring one of our tourist destinations."

Claire hesitated before sheathing her blade and returning the man's stare. "I was merely curious as to the meaning behind it. For names to be carved into a rock this way is a… different way of displaying them."

The man tilted his head slightly, as if he was considering what Claire had said, before calmly walking up to the rock next to Claire and crouching down in front of it. His eyes slowly read the names, reaching out to trace one, before rising back up to his full height, nearly two heads taller than Claire, and looking down into her silver eyes. "The names on this rock belong to the village's heroes. Every name on this rock is a person who died in the noblest way possible, serving and protecting Konohagakure. In this way, even if the act itself isn't remembered, the person that did it will be."

So that was it. Claire understood now. It was just like when Claire and Raki had buried Elena. "I had been wondering what it was. But now it reminds me of a memorial I once built for a friend."

"Oh?"

Claire paused while she returned the blonde man's stare. He seemed like he wanted to her to continue. The problem was that Claire was not entirely willing to tell parts of her past to anyone, much less someone she had only met a few hours ago. Claire was reticent to tell even Raki about what she had undergone before she met him. But considering the blonde man had sought her out, and that Claire had vowed to explain herself should he be angry for her comments in the hospital, it would probably be for the best. Besides, she was the one who brought the subject up.

"When I first became a slayer," Claire began, "I had only one true friend. Her name was Elena, and she was also a slayer. I was… with her when she died, and to honor her memory, I buried her and placed her sword into the rock she was buried under. It was a small way to honor her, but a passerby would at least know that a warrior had been laid to rest there."

The blonde man said nothing. Perhaps he had noticed the shortness of her explanation and did not completely believe everything that she had said. What she had told him was the truth, just not all of it. But, for now, that was all that Claire was willing to give him.

The two of them simply stood there for a few moments, not saying anything, both lost in their thoughts. Claire could sense some inner turmoil in the man next to her, as if he wanted to say something, but was unable to think of how best to phrase it. Claire's best guess was that it had something to do with their earlier conversation, but for some reason she was not entirely thrilled at the subject being brought up.

"What were you implying?"

"Implying?"

"Earlier," the man replied, "When I was in my hospital bed. You said how the only one who had been ready for the crisis of the demon fox had been the Yondaime Hokage. Were you insulting the shinobi of Konoha, or did I simply misunderstand?"

There it was. He had brought up the talk in the hospital. "I was not insulting you or your fellow soldiers," Claire said. "You asked me how it could be possible for one trained for a specific purpose, such as I am trained for Yoma slaying, to be killed performing that duty. What I meant was, you are trained to defend your village, as were the ninja from the time of the demon fox's attack. But the only one who was able to succeed in fulfilling that duty in any measurable way was the Yondaime Hokage. I am sorry if you felt that I was insulting you. I was merely making an observation using the little information I had been given concerning the situation here."

The man looked deep into Claire's eyes. There was something familiar in his eyes, but Claire could not place it. It was almost like she had seen eyes like his before. She almost did not notice the hand being extended to her.

"My name," the man said, "is Naruto." His face was expressionless, but Claire understood. She reached out and shook his hand.

"My name is Claire."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I made everyone wait and not a whole lot happened. Wasn't overly satisfied with everything either. Hopefully the next chapter will be more exciting. One can only hope.**

**As a final note, reviews are the niftyest things on the planet. If only people would leave them for me...**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Work, college, Guitar Hero, blah, blah, blah. Trust me, it bothers me that S'TarKan (a man not known for his speed) has updated multiple times since my last one. Even worse, this isn't even the full chapter. The much requested action scene isn't cooperating, so I decided to post what I have as proof that I haven't given up. Consider this to be like Gran Turismo 5: Prologue; a sizeable chunk, but not the full offering. I'll keep working on it, but no promises on when it'll be done.**

**Disclaimer: My takeover of Shonen Jump fell through. Damn zoning laws. **

* * *

Tsunade was one of the three legendary sannin, a warrior renowned throughout the shinobi world not only for her beauty, but also for her legendary healing and battle abilities. She was the Godaime Hokage, feared by her enemies, loved by her people, and respected by all.

Of course, none of that appeared to mean squat to the two people standing in her now-trashed office.

After Sakura had told her that Naruto had left his room without permission, Tsunade had done what came naturally to her whenever Naruto pulled this type of stunt: she started throwing furniture around her office. Chairs were destroyed, bookshelves pulled over, and her desk was now no more than a pile of kindling. When Naruto and the Claymore warrior had strode into the office about five minutes ago, the blonde shinobi had simply nodded his head at the carnage and the silver-eyed girl had not reacted at all. Now Naruto was telling Tsunade about a pleasant conversation that he had had with the warrior standing next to him while the woman in question simply stared at Tsunade with an unreadable gaze.

"And that is why Claire believes that defeating this Yoma will require the assistance of Konoha ninja. It has hidden itself far too well to be sensed normally, and my patrols around the village, leaving the Kyuubi's scent as I go, have not helped her either."

Tsunade plopped herself down in the chair behind the ruins of her desk and sighed. "All right, hold on for just a second. I still don't get it. What exactly did you two talk about while you were supposed to be resting in bed _like I distinctly remember ordering you to do_?"

"I can rest some other time, obaa-chan. Claire informed me that the scent of Yoma energy and the scent given off by the Kyuubi are similar enough that it is difficult for her to tell the difference between the two without concentrating to the point of causing a headache. She says that warriors like her don't get headaches, or at least not frequently enough to mention. Therefore, it will take a group effort to find this Yoma and perhaps to beat it. And since the nearest warrior outside of herself is quite far away at the moment, we ninja will have to do."

Tsunade held up a hand to stop Naruto and stared hard at the woman next to him. "Claire, was it?" The woman didn't respond. "Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to add anything to this conversation?"

"Naruto has been explaining things effectively up to now. I have felt no reason to say anything to assist him."

"Maybe so, but you are the one who has experience hunting Yoma," Tsunade replied. "Maybe you should at least give some idea of how we can help without losing most of the village's ninja to this plan that you two seemed to have cooked up and have yet to explain any parts of it to me. If I remember correctly, I do still have final say over whether anything is to be done."

"Naruto has told me about the idea of a three man cell that you apply to all of your beginner ninja," Claire began. "The plan requires your top ninja to group together in groups of three while also being posted at strategic points around the village."

"Wait a minute," Tsunade interrupted. "Naruto had a five minute encounter with that thing and nearly got devoured. He is one of this village's top ninja. What makes you so sure that adding two others would immediately mean a dead Yoma?"

"Your ninja would not be there to fight the Yoma, but to lure it out."

"What do you mean, lure it out?"

"Your ninja will be bait."

* * *

Sakura stood on top of the Hokage's Tower, scanning the evening sky. The events of the day had truly unsettled her mind and it would be some time before she would truly calm down. Word had spread of a new Hyuuga with an immense blade, and a rumor was going around that that Hyuuga had something to do with all of the attacks that had been occurring recently.

_"Someone really needs to remove that idiot Aoba's vocal chords,"_ Sakura thought bitterly. From what Claire had said to her, the Yoma might now know that the Claymore was in town, so tonight may be the last chance to actually get a shot at defeating the monster. Sakura had already made a private vow that if the Yoma put the rumors together and left the village, Aoba would be a hospital patient for the next ten years. She had already lost one of her teammates to an evil monster, she would be damned if the thing that nearly took Naruto's life escaped as well.

Speaking of whom, Naruto and the Claymore warrior had each disappeared about an hour ago, after discussing the plan with the group. All of the remaining Rookie Nine members and Gai's old team had been grouped together, with Tsunade saying that they were to be the only people to have full knowledge of what was truly going on. Claire had gone around to each one of them, studying them closely, even holding their heads still and staring deep into their eyes before declaring that none of the ninja grouped together in the Hokage's office were the Yoma in disguise. Light entertainment had been provided by Kiba's drooling over the beautiful Claymore warrior and Tenten losing all control and actually getting down on her knees to beg Claire if she could actually touch the blade strapped to the silver-eyed warrior's back and maybe give it a few test swings. Claire had let Tenten expend herself before giving the poor girl a flat "No" and continuing on with the meeting.

The way Claire explained it, the plan she and Naruto had cooked up was inspired by an altercation she had had with a Yoma some time ago, in a place called Rabona Cathedral. In that battle, she had teamed with two of the Cathedral's guardsmen to defeat a Yoma that had grown very large and powerful.

_"I actually fought the Yoma twice," Claire had said. "The first time I had been too concerned with protecting the guardsmen of the Cathedral and the Yoma critically injured me. The second time, I had more faith in their abilities and we were successful in slaying it."_

_"So how does that apply to us?" Chouji had asked._

_"The village's top ninja will be dispersed in three man teams at strategic points around the village, acting as if they are merely on patrol. The Yoma has developed a ravenous appetite and is most likely very hungry right now, so it will be on the prowl for food. If it spots someone that it decides looks tasty, the Yoma will attack. The three man groups will hopefully allow the members enough time to survive until I arrive to kill it."_

_"What makes you believe that the Yoma would walk into this trap?" Shino had asked. "What reasons do you have to believe that this Yoma would attack one of us or another strong ninja and not try to feed on someone else?"_

_"Think about it, Shino," Naruto spoke up. "Think how this thing had been operating. The first group of attacks was all on regular people. Workers, shop owners, all of them were civilians. But the next two were on kids. A special kind of kid. Anyone remember?"_

_A pause while everyone had thought. Then: "Academy students," Neji said._

_"Bingo. Two who had just started learning how to manipulate their chakra. Then he went after a chuunin. A full-fledged and experienced ninja who had a decent supply of chakra. Then he tried to take me down and would have succeeded had not a few friends rescued me." Naruto had smirked when he noticed the pink tinge of Hinata's cheeks. "Anyone notice the pattern?"_

_"He went after progressively stronger prey," Shikamaru said. "Each target had more chakra than the previous victim. But what about the most recent attack? The one just after Naruto's? That one was another chuunin."_

_"That one," Claire spoke up, "was a healing measure. After Hinata successfully wounded it and denied the Yoma the chance to feed, it needed someone else to feed on to replenish its strength. It chose a victim of a rank that the Yoma knew it could eat quickly. But if it is hungry enough to go after someone of Naruto's energy level, it will not be satisfied with anything much weaker. It knows that it can defeat a strong ninja, and will probably be willing to try and defeat three of them if they are not expecting it."_

_"So he'll be after our chakra, not us specifically?" Ino asked._

_"No, he is still after food. A Yoma feeds on the internal organs of humans. This one is being attracted by energy strength, but he wants food more than anything. If and when he attacks, your job will not be to defeat him, only to keep the Yoma from escaping. In order to attack, the Yoma will have to reveal itself and stop suppressing its Yoma power, allowing me to locate it. However, it would assist me greatly if you were to also create an energy spike large enough to be sensed from this building's roof, where I will be waiting."_

_"Why the roof of the Hokage's Tower?"_

_"It is a central location. No matter where the Yoma attacks, I will not be dangerously far away and injuries will be kept to a minimum."_

_"With all due respect to you and your experience as a Yoma hunter," Shikamaru said, "this entire plan seems unnecessarily dangerous. Suppose you aren't quick enough to get there in time and one of us is fatally injured or the Yoma escapes? What then?"_

_"I admit, this is not a safe plan at all," Claire replied. She lowered her eyes, for the first time not appearing fully confident. "I… have never been a good strategist. There are many among my kind much stronger than I and a good number of them are much better planners. If I had known how difficult this Yoma would be to sense, I would have requested that a former commander of mine be sent instead. However, Naruto has given his full support to each of your individual abilities. He believes that each of you will come out of this alive and able to continue with your ninja careers."_

_All eyes turned to the blonde man. Every ninja in the room knew how much Naruto valued his friends. He wouldn't put such faith in the plan or their abilities if he didn't honestly think they would be able to come out of it in one piece. Would he?_

_"Naruto," Sakura asked, "is this true?"_

_The ninja in question didn't say anything for a few moments. He simply leaned against the office wall with his arms folded and his eyes closed. When his eyes did finally open, he didn't focus them on any one spot. "There are many things I am not sure of in this world. For example, why does ramen taste so damn good, why does Kakashi-sensei insist on being late, and why is Jiraiya such a pervert?" Claire turned a questioning eye to Tsunade at that one but the Hokage just shrugged. "But here are a few things that I am sure of: There is a monster running around out there that has already killed Konoha citizens and could right know be eating another. That monster tore a hole in me and nearly had my intestines with a side of kidney for dinner. I listen to this plan, the plan I helped cook up, mind you, and I think a good bit of it sounds like complete and utter bullshit. Its total lunacy, asking a bunch of ninja, trained to fight ninja, to try and survive against something that would make mincemeat out of them if given a sliver of a chance. But here's the kicker. I would never say anything about my friends or their talents as ninja if I didn't believe with every fiber of my soul." Naruto stared straight into Sakura's eyes. "So, Sakura, in answer to your question, yes, it is true."_

_Naruto walked over to the door before stopping and lifting his head just slightly. "You guys do what you want. I, however, will carry this plan out, even if I have to burn off every last shred of chakra I have. That Yoma is going down." He walked out the door. _

_The Hokage's office was silent. Perhaps everyone was letting what Naruto had said sink in. Or maybe they were just cursing him for the melodrama he had just struck them with. Either way, it was Lee who broke the tension. He walked straight up to Claire, stood as straight as he could and gave the shorter warrior a salute._

_"Claire-san, it will be an honor to assist in your hunt of the Yoma." Lee turned on his heel and left the office; Neji and Tenten followed close behind._

_Ino and Chouji shared a look before staring at Shikamaru. He shrugged. "I don't know how a Yoma thinks, so I have no way of creating a plan to oppose one. Any plan, no matter how dangerous it may seem on the surface, is better than sitting around and playing to the enemies tune." The former Team 10 exited, with Ino giving Sakura a parting shot to the arm. _

_Kiba and Shino left as well. "That freak won't know what hit him," Kiba said, with Akamaru barking an agreement._

_"The Yoma or Naruto?" Shino asked._

_"Ask me again tomorrow morning."_

_There were just four people left in the office now, Tsunade, Sakura, Hinata, and Claire. The Claymore warrior sighed slightly before turning to Tsunade. "If you will excuse me, Hokage-sama. I would like to find Naruto. I have an idea that might allow him to be more effective against the Yoma." With a small bow, the slayer strode out the door._

_Silence once more reigned in the office. Hinata turned to Tsunade. "Everyone's…"_

_"Very nervous. I don't blame them. They will be fighting a new type of enemy, one that they have little information on and even less on how to fight it. But I agree with Naruto. If anyone can go into a battle like this blind and still come out of it alive, it's this group."_

_"But if I had been a little slower, Naruto would…"_

_"But you weren't," Sakura interrupted. "Never sell yourself short, Hinata. Every single one of your friends knows how strong a ninja you are. It's your father's fault that he can't see that. And I know for a fact that you and I are the one's that Naruto would always pick to fight along side him." _

_Hinata's face had lifted up at that. Naruto would want her fighting alongside him in a fight like this? Well, if that were the case, she wouldn't let him down. "Thank you, Sakura." Hinata smiled at her friend before hurrying out to try and find her teammates. _

_Sakura turned to look at her sensei. Tsunade had buried her face in her palms. Sakura knew that pose. The Hokage was about to start in on a bottle of sake or three. It was her way of trying to calm herself down when things got a bit too stressful. Sakura and Shizune had teamed up to try and break the older woman of that habit, but had thus far failed. Giving a mental shrug, Sakura walked over to the little cupboard that Tsunade kept her bottles in and pulled one out. Perhaps one day of indulgence wouldn't hurt too much. _

_"Sakura?"_

_She jumped at the voice. Tsunade still had her face covered. "Yes?"_

_"What is your impression of Claire?"_

_Sakura thought for a minute. "Well, she seems to know her own limits and is confident in them. She has a good amount of experience with Yoma and is worried about the plan. She doesn't seem entirely confident in her plan's chances for success."_

_Tsunade looked up at the sake bottle but didn't open it. "I get that feeling, too. Naruto doesn't seem to be behind it wholeheartedly, either."_

_"He did make that speech, though."_

_"That was in support of everyone's abilities, not in support of the plan. He has faith that everyone will come out of this because you are each strong, not because this idea is foolproof." Tsunade met her student's gaze. They had gotten to know each other extremely well over the past five years, and Sakura frequently knew what her teacher was thinking, but Tsunade's eyes were unreadable. "Stick close to Naruto, Sakura. Out of everyone in this village, it's you two who I don't think I could stand to lose. Keep each other safe."_

_Sakura bowed. "I will do as my teacher wishes."_

All of that seemed like it had happened long ago, not just an hour. Sakura and the others had coordinated with all of the available jounin and ANBU, saying that patrols were being stepped up. Those who asked were told that it was Hokage's orders, nothing more. Many of them were suspicious, but they still went off to do their new jobs.

Sakura bit her lip. The Yoma could be anybody. That being said, it was possible that the Yoma would figure everything out and avoid the trap entirely, and leaving the village would just bring misfortune onto the next town that it attacked. Sakura had seen the amount of money that the Claymore's service was costing Konoha. A small village would not be able to afford something so expensive.

A thud behind her brought Sakura out of her mental troubles. She turned around to find that Naruto and Claire had come back, the blond ninja apparently having given the foreign warrior a ride. The Claymore looked normal, but Naruto's clothes were dirty and torn in some places and his face and hands showed numerous cuts, scratches, and bruises. There were even spots of blood. "Where the hell have you two been and why the hell does Naruto look like he's already fought the Yoma?"

"We've been training," Naruto replied as he came up next to Sakura, "and the training got a little rough."

"A little?" Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and looked it over. "These scratches suggest that the Kyuubi's been doing some healing recently. If I were to roll up your sleeve, would I find similar wounds?"

"You would," Claire said as she joined the two of them. "Naruto's problem when he fought the Yoma was that his movements were too readable."

"Readable?"

"The Yoma was sensing how and where the chakra flowed throughout Naruto. He knew exactly where Naruto was going to go and what he was going to do the moment that Naruto decided to do it."

"Claire was helping to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra," Naruto said. "We sparred and every time she read my chakra she blocked and even got a few sword strikes in. Kind of learning through trial and error."

"Is that so? And if you had lost a limb?" Sakura asked.

"He was in no danger," Claire said. "I may not be a good planner but I know not to cripple any allies that I might have."

Sakura snorted but let the matter drop. After this was all over Tsunade would probably have a few words with the blonde and the Claymore over their method of preparation, but for the moment there was nothing that could be done about it. As it was, Tsunade was inside the tower below their feet trying to get as much information about the Claymore out of Raki as was humanly possible. It had been decided between teacher and apprentice that they needed to find out as much as possible about their guests as they could and since Raki needed to be put somewhere out of danger, the boy was placed under the Hokage's semi-watchful gaze, leaving Claire to Sakura.

"Claire-san?"

"What is it?"

"If I may ask, how many of your kind are there?"

Claire turned to look at Sakura. "Why do you wish to know?"

Sakura shrugged. "Simple curiosity. You're a stranger here, and an ally. I would like to say that I at least know something about you."

"There is one slayer assigned to each region of our homeland. Some get added, and others are killed but there are usually 47 in all."

"That few?" Sakura asked.

"That is all that is needed. The weaker ones are given smaller regions and the stronger ones larger areas, so it balances itself out."

"Why did you become a Claymore?"

"I am not a Claymore. Regular humans picked that name for us. The Organization does not have a name."

Slightly taken aback, Sakura forged on. "All right, why did you become a… well, whatever you are?"

Claire faced away from the two shinobi and started scanning the horizon line, saying nothing.

Now Sakura was becoming annoyed. The whatever she called herself was bringing on a major headache. Claire had answered few questions and ignored countless others. If she wanted the trust of Konoha's ninja, she had better shape up. Sakura was about to start in on the slayer when a hand on her shoulder caught her attention. Naruto turned Sakura around and quietly shook his head. "Let her be. Each of us has things they would rather not talk about. If Claire wants to keep her life story to herself, we should grant her that much."

"You can't be serious, Naruto. She must have told you something. What did she say?"

"She said nothing and I didn't ask. As I said, we each have things that we keep hidden; let Claire have hers."

Sakura was seething. Naruto was trying to lecture her? Sasuke had never revealed anything and look what happened to him. "But still, others have kept things all bottled up and been at the mercy of emotions that no one else could understand because they were never told anything. Don't you at least think that-" Sakura stopped midsentence. She had suddenly become distracted.

_"That chakra spike must have been felt all over the village,"_ Sakura thought. Claire had already shot off in the direction of the source and Naruto was following close behind. Sakura could only think of one thing as she prepared to leap after them.

_"That chakra came from the direction of Hinata's patrol…"_

* * *

In the six years that Hinata had been partnered with Kiba and Shino, she had come to learn many things about the world that she lived in. Bugs were okay so long as you left the hive alone, dogs always smelled, and flea repellent was a good investment for long-term missions. But two facts in particular stood out. One, it was a good idea to get as far away from Kiba and Akamaru when they were doing marking training.

The second was that Shino's kikai bugs were the best damn motion detectors ever invented.

The former team eight had just landed between trees and was preparing to jump up to continue their patrol. Nothing unusual had occurred and Kiba was starting to mutter that the entire plan was completely ridiculous. But then Shino had said that a few of his bugs were giving him some weird readings.

That was when all hell broke loose.

The ring of trees to Hinata's right simply exploded. She didn't have time to do anything but turn to watch as a dark mass hurtled into her side, sending her clear through a few other trees. Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru didn't fare any better, as they were each sent in varying directions. She landed hard on the group before finally skidding to a stop. Her eyes just would not focus. It was hard enough to see anything due to the sun having nearly completely set and her landing was not helping. The only sense that was working properly was her hearing and that was telling her more than she wanted to know. Something was stomping towards her; it was growling and snarling...

* * *

**AN: Ooh, a cliffy...one that will eventually be erased and replaced with the action that everyone wants. **

**Before anyone makes note of it, yes, I do specialize in melodramatic speeches. I'll try to keep them to a minimum.**

**Don't worry when a long period goes between updates. I keep getting ideas for the future, so I refuse to just give up. On that note, if anyone was wondering about the Claymore divergence point, the Claymore side is happening post-Slashers, pre-Endless Gravestones.**

**Reviews, comments, and suggestions for improvement are welcome. Also, any hints for how to make fully formed mental images flow out through the fingers are appreciated.**


End file.
